Football regulator is ‘top priority’, says new Culture Minister Lisa Nandy

New Culture Minister Lisa Nandy says establishing a new football regulator is “a top priority for me in this job”.

A bill on football governance, which would have established an independent regulator, did not have enough time to be passed by parliament and become law when general elections were called.

But Labour promised in its election manifesto to introduce a new regulator.

Speaking at Gigg Lane, home to Bury FC, which was expelled from the Football League in 2019 when a takeover attempt failed, Nandy said: “We nearly got there before the general election but it didn’t work out.

“And I know better than anyone what that inactivity means for clubs, not just Bury but Wigan Athletic, my own club that went bust. We nearly lost it twice.”

The government’s plans to reform football governance are expected to be discussed in next week’s Speech from the Throne.

“It’s a personal matter for me,” Nandy said.

“Not only was my club Wigan Athletic at risk twice, but my stepfather was a season ticket holder here, a lifelong season ticket holder at Gigg Lane. We couldn’t give a damn about that in my family anymore.

“So it will be a top priority for us. I don’t want to pre-empt the throne speech, but it was a central part of our manifesto and it will be a key part of my job to deliver that and deliver it without delay,” she added.

The previous government’s plans to appoint a regulator followed a fan-led inquiry in 2022 which concluded that a regulator is necessary for the long-term financial stability of professional men’s sport.

While the plans for a new regulator have been widely welcomed by supporters, they have been criticised by some club owners and the Premier League, with chief executive Richard Masters warning it could jeopardise the league’s status as the world’s most lucrative.